Hi everyone! Happy July! For my column this month I am sharing with you an apricot pie with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Triple vanilla bean ice cream in fact! (It does require an ice cream bowl attachment to your electric mixer, so I hope you have one and if not you’ll be inspired to get one).

Apricot pie was my absolute favorite when I was a kid. Nothing else compared. The funny thing was that for me it was a winter dish, we always made it during the cooler months even though apricots aren’t readily available until the summer.

Method
Place the flour onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre. Place in the middle the butter, eggs and salt. Using your fingertips mix the butter, eggs and salt together, then slowly draw in small amounts of flour until the mixture resembles a grainy texture. Once mixed, add cold water, two tablespoons at a time, followed by the last tablespoon. Keep mixing the dough until it begins to hold together.

Knead the dough a couple of times until smooth. Roll the pastry into a disk and refrigerate covered for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the fruit into bit sized pieces and place into a large bowl. Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix well.

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and corn starch until completely mixed. Set aside. By the way, the props were given to me on loan from Robert Gordon Australia.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and halve. Keep one half in the fridge. Roll out the first half to 2-3cm thickness. Using a greased pie tin, press the pastry into the pie tin, leaving a sufficient amount of overhang. Prick the entire base with a fork and allow to rest in the fridge for 20 mins. Roll out the rest of the pastry to a 2-3cm thickness. Using a pastry cutter, cut lattice pieces to an even size. (If you are not feeling adventurous you can have a solid top case without the lattice work. Just roll out into a disk and set over the top of the pie once filled).

Remove the pie tin from the fridge and sprinkle one third of the brown sugar/corn starch mixture over the base. Add half of the pie filling, followed by another third of the sugar/corn starch mixture. Add the remaining filling then sprinkle the remaining sugar/corn starch mixture over the top. Place the lattice pieces over the filling from top to bottom. Peeling back every second lattice piece, place your lattice pieces from side to side, alternating to get a cross work pattern. Trim the sides of the top and bottom of the pastry with a pastry knife or sharp scissors so the sides are flush with the pie tin. Place the pie in the fridge to settle.

For those of you feeling daunted by pastry, I can totally understand those feelings I had it for many years too. The turning point for me was this pastry recipe, just fool proof every time. The more you work with it, the most you understand it and there becomes a sense of knowing when it feels right.

Cooking should be fun, so if you aren’t game to try the lattice work, that is totally ok. A simple disk on top of the pie with a small hole cut in the middle is absolutely divine too. Simplicity is perfection right?

If you do feel game for trying the lattice work, because it is actually easier than you think, then my advice for first timers is to make 1.5 times the pastry recipe calls for. (I’ve added some notes at the end of the post). This will give you more pastry to play with whilst you roll, cut and figure out what you’re doing. There might be some pastry wastage, but it ensures your pieces for the lattice are even in thickness and size, not only for cooking the crust evenly but also for your own confidence in cutting the lattice work.

TIP: Need some help with how to create the lattice? Check out this video.

Using the left over pieces, roll into a disk the size of the pie tin. Cut thin strips to make the braided boarder, cut about 9-12 strips. Using three strips per braid, pinch the tip of the strips together, then braid. Once you have braided the length, pinch the end together. You’ll need around 3-4 braids.

Baste the pie with egg wash and place on the braided boarder. Coat it as well with egg wash.

Method
In a small saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla seeds and bean pods gently over a medium heat. Once bubbles start to appear around the sides, remove and allow to infuse for a further 5 minutes.

In an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale and creamy.

Remove the bean pods and add the cream. Gently stir.

Slowly add the milk/cream mixture to the egg mixture and continue to beat until fully combined.

Store the mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours or until completely chilled.

Using an ice cream mixing attachment and direction/settings for your machine, add the mixture slowly and churn for the requirements of your machine. Remove once mixture has increased in size and is light and fluffy, and allow to freeze in an airtight container overnight.

Once frozen, scoop and serve with the apricot pie.

Notes:
Make the ice-cream the day before you are to serve it to ensure it has frozen completely unless you have an industrial ice cream machine.

This month I’ve shared two recipes with you, firstly because pie and ice cream were made for each other, but also as I will be away in August so I won't have a column up for you again until September. See you again end of summer! - Rachel

Hello everyone, are you ready to celebrate summer? A proper summer in my book requires a few elements. Number one is for this dreadful rainy weather to end where I'm living and for some sun to come out! Second is to bake plenty of fresh berry pies and serve still bubbling out of the oven, with the scent of melting berries within crusty pastry to die for.

I have been on a roll lately with pies I suppose, having recently came back after spending a week in Lyon, otherwise known as the French culinary capital, and trust me folks it deserves this title every bit. I was staying just across the corner of Pâtisserie l'Ourson qui Boit (which comes highly recommended if you are in the area), where they make tarts with luscious yuzu filling, black sesame and raspberries or an incredible miso and vanilla marriage. When treasures like that are at your doorstep, it is quite appropriate to have more than one breakfast a day, starting with a tart then moving to the traditional French croissant, etc.

Back home, I wanted to make something a little more traditional with fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, the perfect summer berry pie that is easy for you to make as well. If you feel uneasy about making pastry at home, you can also use a store-bought one, but I wholeheartedly recommend giving this homemade version a try.

My secret to any good berry pie is crème de cassis liquor, which is a worthy ingredient to have at home at all times. If you are not familiar with it, crème de cassis is a blackcurrant liquor that is not only my favorite aperitif for making kir (1 part crème de cassis, 4 parts wine or even better use prosecco), but anytime you are making a dessert with berries or rhubarb it will add a wonderful flavor boost. Try it!

This berry pie is pretty good just on it’s own or with coffee for breakfast, but as with any pastry and berry concoction, whipped cream or ice cream is most welcome. The recipe will make 2 small pies for very greedy eaters or can serve four people if you'd prefer a half each.

INSTRUCTIONS
For the shortcrust pastry, in a food processor pulse together flour, sugar and salt, then add butter and continue to blend till it resembles breadcrumbs. Then pour in egg and water and continue to blend till the dough comes together, about 5-10 seconds. Divide the pastry in 3 parts and wrap each in cling film. Allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 190C/372F. Toss all ingredients for the filling, set aside.

Roll out two pastry parts on a flour dusted surface and press each into a tart case. Then roll out the last piece of pastry and slice it into strips. Fill each tart case to the top then criss cross the pastry strips on top. Beat the egg with water and brush on top of the pastry. Bake for about 50 minutes – 1 hour. Let it cool a little, then serve!

This is my last post for decor8, it has been a lovely journey sharing recipes here with you, but don’t forget to come back daily for more posts from Holly and her wonderful team! - Gintare

Hi decor8 readers. I thought I'd drop in this weekend to give you a lovely but super simple recipe for some extremely yummy Almond Macaroons. They are sweet, nutty, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Perfect with a cup of tea whilst having a natter with friends. I’ve always loved baking with nuts and with only a handful of ingredients required for these they hit the spot.

I’ve gone for this super simple recipe as by the time you are reading this I will be cuddling my new baby. As I was nearing full term and needing to shoot this, I’ve was finding it harder and harder to bend over a surface to style and photograph. So I had to come up with something that wasn’t too elaborate but that you would all enjoy to make.

In fact, after this post I won't be back on decor8 so I can spend time with my new baby. But I've loved being on Holly's beautiful blog for the past 1/2 year and hope that some of you will continue to follow me on my own blog so you can meet my little one and see more recipes down the road...

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170c. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. In a bowl combine the almond meal, granulated sugar, egg whites and almond extract - stir until combined.
3. Roll out 20 balls of the mixture placing them about 2 inches apart on the tray and squash them down a little. TIP: I used a melon ball scoop so that I got more or less the same size balls every time.
4. Dust the macaroon with icing sugar.
5. Press one blanched almond into the top of each cookie.
6. Bake in oven for 10 mins or until the top is slightly golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
7. It’s as simple as that ...now enjoy with that cup of tea!

So farewell, thank you Holly for having me, it's been wonderful! - Emma

Hello everyone, hope you are all enjoying the blooming spring. We’re heading into the time of the year where it is becoming rather indecent not to have a pint of ice cream hidden in the depths of the freezer for those moments when sun comes out in all its glory and all you want to do is sit outside and indulge into a frozen cream, custard or yogurt. Last year was our first summer in Switzerland and by the time June came around we were quite literally cooking, which meant banana ice cream topped with granola for breakfast and all sorts of frozen concoctions throughout the day.

Having a job that keeps me thinking about food almost every day, I am always on the lookout for interesting ingredients to work with. Now, for those who do not know, I happen to live in the beautiful Swiss countryside where more exotic ingredients aren’t always easy to come by, so when the lovely lady selling spices in our market procured some tonka beans, I jumped and bought them all.

Tonka bean is a curious little thing. It has a particular taste somewhere between almond and vanilla that comes even more alive once a little vanilla is added to it. There are even very delicate tobacco notes that are barely felt, but it makes for a more interesting spice altogether.

Tonka beans work not only in sweet things where they can be baked in or just grated on top of desserts to finish them off. They are great with shellfish, though I feel a note should be made here. When it comes to vanilla undertones and shellfish the world is divided into two groups: one says they should never be seen together and the other thinks it’s like biting into a piece of heaven (when done well, of course). I belong to the latter, having tried scallops with vanilla hollandaise some four years ago and still dreaming about it to date, so I would surely recommend giving this flavur marriage a try.

If you have never worked with tonka beans on the other hand, dessert is a good place to start and a semifreddo is a wonderful way to showcase its flavor (and keep in your freezer for when the sun is out). The art of making a semifreddo is rather basic. You need to beat the eggs over a double boiler till they become light and fluffy (cooking them at the same time) and after tossing with some cream freeze completely, though it will start melting almost immediately after leaving the freezer so do take it out the last minute. I like to add a bit of crunch to my semifreddo in the form of meringues and berries for freshness, but it will taste great on its on too.

PREPARE
To make the semifreddo, line a large tin (or 6 small ones) with cling film. Set aside. Place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water with eggs, sugar, grated tonka beans and scraped vanilla seeds beating for 5-6 minutes, till thick, pale and double in volume. Take off the heat and continue to beat for a minute or two, till the bowl cools down. To speed things up, you can place the bowl over ice. In a chilled bowl beat cream till soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into eggs. Pour into tin and freeze for at least 3-4 hours.

To make the meringues, preheat the oven to 110C/ 250F. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt till stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar beating very well after each addition. Then continue to beat till the meringue looks thick and glossy, but do not overbeat. Pipe out mini meringues on a lined sheet and bake for 1 hour. Then switch off the oven and let them cool completely.

To serve, take out the semifreddo, top with berries, meringues, pansies and serve immediately.

Enjoy the sun and frozen treats, I will be back with another recipe on 15th June! -Gintare

Hi everyone! It's Rachel and this month I'm sharing a super simple, but impressive White Chocolate and Passionfruit Cheesecake. This recipe was inspired by my recent trip to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland (on the East Coast of Australia) a couple of weeks ago with my family. We stayed right on Marcoola Beach and enjoyed a week that felt much like summer. The sun in the Northern parts of Australia rises and sets quite differently to how it does in Melbourne, and it would poke its rays above the horizon just a little after 5.30am. I am usually not a morning person, but the lure of golden rays dancing over the breaking waves at dusk was just too enticing. Every morning I strolled down to the beach with my camera in hand and soaked up the sun as it shone on my face. I watched the surfers catch a break or two before they headed to work, fisherman trying their luck knee deep in the surf and others just simply there to enjoy the sound of the ocean.

This recipe was inspired by that and I'd like to show you how to make it. But first, for the passionfruit topping, you can either use fresh passionfruit, (maybe you even have some growing in your garden?), or you can opt for the quick and dirty passionfruit pulp with syrup in a can. The tinned variety will spread easier onto the top of the cake, however a little bit of orange juice added to fresh pulp should help break it up a little. A thin layer will look more appealing for serving.

If you’d prefer to have a more traditional cheesecake look by just using the biscuit mixture for the base, you can halve all of the base ingredients I've listed below. A spring form pan is such a lifesaver for a recipe like this so if you don’t have one, please change that! I’m known to take shortcuts whenever I can, and there is nothing worse than buying all of the ingredients, prepping and cooking only to find the cake is stuck in the tin! Trust me, I have been there many times (and I am food photographer, but we all have to learn the hard way I guess!).

Food for me is as much about colour as it is taste. When a dish is bright and fun, it only adds to the experience. Blue skies and sun filled days are ahead for a lot of you (lucky readers!) and I hope this dish makes it onto your as the warmer weather approaches.

Method
Using a spring form cake tin, 20cm, lightly grease and line with baking paper. In a bowl, combine the crushed biscuits, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, coconut, melted butter and coconut oil. Press into the tin so there is a thin layer at the bottom and around the sides. Freeze for 20-30 mins to set. Remove.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest with an electric mixer until smooth and combined. Add the white chocolate and cream. Stir in the gelatine (whilst warm and still dissolved but not boiling). Pour the cheesecake mixture into the base. Allow to set in the fridge for at least three hours or overnight. Once ready to serve, top with passionfruit pulp and a few sprigs of mint.

I hope you love this recipe and will make it! I'll meet you back here on May 4th with another recipe from my kitchen. Take care and enjoy!- Rachel.

Hi friends! I hope that you had a wonderful Easter. Since most of you are suffering from a chocolate hangover, I thought today I'd post something healthy and somewhat sweet that doesn't involve chocolate or a lot of calories. In fact, you can make a very low calorie version of this, and it is completely gluten-free. By the way, I don't contribute food columns on decor8 because decorating is definitely more my thing, but this past weekend my friend Esra came over and surprised me with poached pears for dessert and I can't stop thinking about them! They were so good and so easy to make! I woke up this morning and just had to share the recipe with you. I took this photo of the poached pears at night on my iPhone, so it's not the quality of photography and styling you are accustomed to here on decor8 but oh well.... It's too lovely of a recipe to pass by! Anyway, here is the recipe from my dear friend Esra Celik.

Boil 3 cups of mulberry syrup (or grape syrup) with 1 cup of water, 3 cinnamon sticks and 5 cloves. Peel your pears, but leave the stems on. Place the peeled pears into the pot and cook them for 45 minutes at low temperature. Take the pears out of the pot and let them cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream and drizzle with honey if you'd like. You can also sprinkle ground cinnamon on top for additional flavor and to make it look pretty!

To plate: Add a bed of whipped cream to a white plate, place two pears on top, and drizzle pears with honey, top with ground cinnamon, letting some fall on the plate around the edges of the whipped cream.